Saturday August 29th, 11:01 P.M. Washington Heights
West 175th Street - Apartment Building of Carlos Rodriguez
Kelli knew it wasn’t one of her best ideas, and it certainly wasn’t the brightest. She just knew she had to do something. She told Kevin she was just going for a drive, she just had to clear her head.
She had spotted him tailing her as she passed the West 230th Street exit on the Major Deegan Expressway. She took the West 207th Street exit and lost him at 10th Street when he caught the light. She made several left and right turns, and when she was sure he was no longer following, she made her way to Broadway.
Kelli parked about a block up from the apartment building and checked her Ruger LCP. She had a full clip in, and a spare, for a total of fourteen rounds. She climbed out of the car and started for the building, taking quick deliberate steps.
She could see the black Escalade parked in front, and two men leaning against the back. She recognized one of the men, Jose Castillo, one of Carlo’s street dealers. Shit. I’m going to have to find another way in there.
She turned and crossed at the corner, walking swiftly up Audubon. She knew the only other way into the building was from the alley off Amsterdam, so she would have to make the block. As she approached the corner of Audubon and West 176th, she saw Kevin’s Expedition pull up and stop.
She continued toward the corner and watched as Kevin climbed out and stepped to the curb. He started walking toward her and she stopped. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, raising her voice and throwing her arms in the air.
He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Stopping you from making a big mistake,” he said, looking into her eyes.
She brushed his hands away and stepped back. “I have to do this, Kevin. If this son of a bitch is allowed to live…”
“That’s just it, Kelli. It’s not your job to decide who lives and who dies. If you go through with this, you’ll end up in prison, or worse. Shit, for all you know, the bastard has his whole crew in there.”
She glared up at him. “I don’t care if the son of a bitch has his mother in there, he’s going to pay.”
Kevin shook his head and frowned. “This isn’t the way to handle it. I agree that he has to pay for what he did, but you can’t just rush in there and start shooting,” he said, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, I was just getting used to having you around again.”
Kelli looked up at him and felt her face soften. “You mean…”
He touched a finger to her lips and nodded. “Yes.”
